Time to launch Part 2 of the January Challenge — starting one new project from your 2013 goals!

Today’s kick-off addresses claiming time and selecting which project to start.

But first, for anyone who hasn’t read previous posts: the January Challengearose because many of us have competing goals we want to tackle in 2013. To get the year started, I applied strategies from freelance writing (and teaching and parenting…) to stoke projects in various stages and keep progress moving forward.

Each week of the challenge focuses on finishing one thing (last week), starting one thing (this week), improving one thing, then evaluating and planning the next step.

Links to prior posts are embedded in today’s kick-off where relevant — or find them all at the bottom of this post.

Join the challenge at any timeand adapt it to fit your needs. If you join in — even well past the end of January — let us know what you are working on or the kind of strategies that work for you. If you blog about it, please share link to the challenge (you can use the JC badge, if you want to be festive), and share link to your post in the comments below.

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Week 2 Launch: Start Something

I mentioned last Monday, the challenge in starting is sometimes the pressure to finish a lingering project first (read more on that here).

I’ve felt that way this week: I need to start production of this literary magazine, but ideas for revising my novel jump into my head (“finish something”), my reliable truck spent the week in the shop having its fuel pump replaced (“improve something”), and I’ve had to drop everything to attend meetings to plan events later in the semester or next year (“evaluate and plan“).

Too often, the project you need to start is like a guy trying to elbow his way to place an order at a crowded bar, vying to get the barkeep’s attention.

This week’s first motivator: give yourself permission to claim the time. Don’t wait to be less busy. Steal a chunk of time to get going, right now. Well. Finish reading this, then go.

Part of the pressure in starting something new is the feeling you have to set aside something else to do it. Not necessarily. You can continue using strategies to tinker with other projects, even as you focus on starting your new one. I’ll post more later, but here are a couple strategies from Week 1:

In talking to friends, most have several things they want to start in 2013. For this challenge, pick one. Don’t stress: you can start one now and start another one a couple months from now, or string several small starts to quick finishes. The key is to stop waiting and jump in.

My goal is to start production of the literary magazineI have to produce for 150 writing students, which needs to be printed and delivered by the end of May.

If that were not mandatory, here are some of the other projects I could imagine taking on — which might be similar to your goals.

Apply for acceptance to a conference, workshop or MFA program. Summer programs like Bread Loaf, Sewanee, Tin House or Grub Street will announce programming and accept applications now through March. (check my links page for more info)

Begin final revisions of a novel manuscript. Revisions might be “improving” or “finishing,” but this step is also the beginning of a new process, including new formatting, finding beta readers, finding agents and beginning querying, or learning the self-publishing process.

Begin an online business. Several outlets allow for uploading materials I (or any of you) could market, and it’s the next step in projects I share with peers.

Beginnings in your day job or personal life are fair game. The literary magazine will parallel projects in your day job or for a freelance client. Same goes for projects like looking for a house, starting a job search, planning a wedding, getting ready for a baby.

How Do I Decide Which to Start?

My reflections on 2012 revealed that I’ve made my way through some challenges in recent years. One of the ‘rules’ that led to my best progress is: Do first the thing that will make your life better tomorrow.

Ask yourself, for any project you consider taking on: will my life be better when this is done, or more of the same? What you start today is an investment in what your life will look like next week, next month and beyond. If deciding between projects, do first the one that gets you closer to your overall goals. This might include:

Honor deadlines. Start first any projects where you committed to a fixed deadline.

Invest in tasks that empower you or give you more options. If you need to be employable, start a course that buys you credentials, certification or street cred, rather than one that’s just for fun.

Plant seeds for future success. Market now for clients you will need in the summer. Build your website or social platform now for the novel you’ll need to market next year. Submit stories, then wait for replies while working on your novel.

Take the first step in big projects. Some starts are just that first step on a big project. My litmag, for example, was really started with mock-ups and volunteer meetings and soliciting work last fall. Grad school starts with investigating programs or soliciting recommendation letters. You might only tackle this one step for now, with other steps taking place much later.

Did you try the 3-column to-do list in this post, to identify obstacles preventing you from moving forward? If so, consider starting a project that removes an obstacle. Start a task that increases income if lots of your projects are held back by a lack of money. While you might normally fight for time to work on your novel, starting a client project (or spring cleaning and yard sale) might allow you to replace your laptop — in turn, letting you work more on your novel.

Certain goals take priority in the category of: “Twenty years from now, you’ll regret more the things you didn’t do than those you did” (attributed to Twain, repeated by many). For those trying to finish a novel, prioritize that. It takes a long time to go from draft to edited and published copy in a reader’s hands; invest in getting closer to that. Every day you put off starting puts that end goal that much further out of reach. Other intangibles — like foreign travel or falling in love or dropping everything to play with your kids — fall in this category.

Protect the status quo. As with honoring deadlines, be sure to start projects that keep good things present in your life, like maintaining a healthy client relationship or success in your job.

Peace of mind counts. All this talk of improving life for tomorrow doesn’t mean you can’t have “start an herb garden” or “organize family photos” as your challenge this week. Will you feel better tomorrow for having done it? Go for it.

Your task for today is to select what you want to start.Share your goal in the comments if you want us to cheer you on. Tweet your goal with hashtag #januarychallenge or blog about it and share your link below.

Here’s what I’m wondering, for the next post: What keeps you from starting a project that is important to you? Are you unsure what to do first? Are you afraid it won’t go well? Do you need resources, materials or answers before you can start?

Now, go!

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6 responses to “January Challenge Week 2: Start Something”

This week (today, actually) I began a new job, so for this week (and the rest of the month, I’d like to say) the goal is to start this job strong. With writerly things, this could be my week to begin a writing challenge a friend is hosting (a poem-a-day challenge) that I semi-started but didn’t get very far with. Thank you, so much, Elissa for this motivation to begin fresh!

Khara, wow — a new job is a big new project. Is it a change you were expecting? Best wishes with starting the new job strong, and also with the poem a day challenge. Thanks to you, also — I began the day commenting on your post about how I was revising this one. I knew I needed some personal examples, but wanted the focus to be on how the challenge works for others — so thanks!

So, first I have to decided that starting a challenge a week late is the thing to do. (check) Then I have to decided if starting the challenge on the second week that is the “Start Something” week means that I am on target because I started something by starting the challenge.
Yea, I think that is cheating. So, next week I will start something. Somehow I hear the sound of “West Side Story” (Something’s coming I don’t know what it is but it’s going to be great….)

Carol, join in at any time and use the challenges in whatever way they work for your goals — there’s no such thing as cheating! I blogged last week about how Week 1 was for “finishing” something only because it can be hard to start something new if you have something old to finish first. But it’s kind of a chicken-egg idea: it’s up to you to decide which comes first for you. :) Glad to see you here!

Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ ” is now playing in my head. Heck if I know the lyrics, but it’s got a slammin’ beat. LOL!
I’ve decided that I am going to write letters to family and friends the old-fashioned way … by long-hand and snail mail. Someone has to keep the U.S. Postal Service working.

Amy, thanks for sharing your “start something” project. Writing letters is a great idea. Recently, when I wanted to send congratulations notes to some students, I realized just how seldom people write letters, because it was hard to find any stationary that didn’t say “invitation” or “thank you” on it! The postal service will love you for it!